For many years, hand-powered tools have been used in the construction industry for such functions as stapling, nailing, sawing, and others. The higher quality professional hand tools are typically larger in size, heavier, and more durable.
In applications of hand tools where there is much repetition and where the operator must continually bend or lean over in order to use the tool, worker fatigue and injury increase. A good example of this is a construction worker utilizing a nail gun on a large, flat or low sloped roof. The worker generally holds the nail gun by the handle and in a bent-over position, engages the triggering mechanism to shoot the nail into the wood or other object being nailed. On a large roof, a worker may be performing this task for several hours a day and walking along, bending over or on his knees, hunched over, and driving nail after nail or staple after staple into the roof to attach roofing materials.
This procedure creates repetitious stress and strain on the lower back, and causes worker discomfort and increases the number of worker injuries and workman's compensation claims. Prior art has attempted to devise extension handles that accomplished the ultimate purpose of saving workers from leaning and bending over and from injury; however, prior art has heretofore been unable to devise any such apparatus that can easily be fitted onto most hand tools, and which is easy to operate, simple in design, and relatively inexpensive.
Our invention provides a relatively inexpensive, simple and ergonomic extension handle that can be quickly and easily attached to a power-hand tool, such as a nail gun, used for the intended purpose, and then quickly and easily removed.